Q & A

Operator:

Thank you. Merci. First question, Janice Dickson, the “globe and mail”. line open.

Reporter:

Hi, Prime Minister. My question is about the Canada-United States border. a canadian and expectant mother living here say border guards have prohibited the father of her baby from crossing into the United States and the border guards told him being here for the birth of his son was nonessential. Do you think someone in this circumstance should be able to cross?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We know Canadians are making extraordinary sacrifices through this difficult time. Loved ones who are saying good-bye to their parents and grandparents via facetime because they can’t see them in person. People living through very difficult distancing that is causing a real impact on people. Obviously we’re trying to make sure that people can do the things that are most essential. But even as we were grieving over the past weeks in Nova Scotia and elsewhere, we needed to make sure we were respecting the rules in place to keep people safe. I can understand the difficulty and the challenge that closing the borders to all but nonessential travel is causing on many, many families. We need to make sure that the decisions are taken that are going to protect people. I understand that different decisions could be made on a case-by-case basis, but what we are doing now is what we need to do to keep Canadians safe for the coming months and years.

Follow-up, janice?

Reporter:

Yes. The American man I mentioned was told by an officer that the only way he could see his son is if his expectant partner was hit by a car and they needed someone to take care of the baby. is there not any room for compassion in these cases? he wants to try again after his son is born. Do you have any advice for this specific example?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

So we’ve seen families split up, even internally in Canada because of COVID-19. It is difficult on everyone and I can’t comment on every case, obviously. But I do know that Canadians from coast to coast to coast are making tremendous sacrifices in order to protect their loved ones, their communities, their parents, their grandparents and preventing our health care systems from getting overloaded.

Thank you. Next question. Operator?

Operator:

Thank you. Merci. Next question, aptn. Your line is open.

Reporter:

Hi, Prime Minister. You mentioned something in french about students and indigenous women. I’m sorry I missed it. I was expecting a [inaudible] translation. Can you tell us what was said there?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We are making sure that students in first nations, mÉtis and Inuit communities get extra support and we’re also investing in support for families, women and children fleeing domestic violence in indigenous community. We’ve made a large number of investments in supporting indigenous communities across the country through this pandemic because we recognize the level of vulnerability and I can tell you that Minister miller will be at the noon update, as he is every week, to highlight the initiatives for moving forward with indigenous communities.

Follow-up, jimmy?

Reporter:

Yes. My follow-up is concerning the rapid tests that were supposed to be coming out a couple of weeks ago. I know indigenous communities have tests, but they’re not rapid tests. What happened to that?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

As was highlighted last week, I believe, there have been challenges around the rapid tests that I believe an Ottawa company put forward. They’ve gone back to try and improve them or repair them. We’ve seen many, many new technologies come forward in terms of helping. We move very quickly on them, but also requires us to adjust when things aren’t working exactly the way they were hoped to be working. So I know people are working very, very hard to make sure that indigenous communities and, indeed, remote northern communities get the testing capacity they need as quickly as possible. But we need make sure they are reliable tests.

Thank you. Operator, next question, please.

Operator:

Thank you. Merci. La presser Canadian.

Reporter:

Interpreter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I just want to come back to the wage subsidy that will be extended beyond June. and that there will be further details this week. Can you tell us how long it will be extended? we’ll have more to say about that tomorrow, I believe. But obviously businesses across the country want to have some certainty in order to be able to rehire their workers and know how they’re going to be able to operate. As the economy re-opens. and the wage subsidy is a very important tool in terms of keeping the connection between employers and workers and we want it to be as efficient and quick as possible. So, yes, we will extend it and we will have additional details to share with you very soon. Follow-up? yes, and what do you say to Canadians who are wondering what to do action their summer vacation? should they stay in Canada? some would like the travel between the provinces. and is the United States an option for them or should it be forgotten about all together for this summer? I guess we all want to know what’s going to be happening in the coming weeks and months. But the only thing we know now is that we have to do the right thing and a continue to practice distancing, stay home as much as possible. That is the way we can protect ourselves and ensure that we can come out of this as quickly as possible. The decisions made by families with respect to this summer will depend to a great extent on the region and province where they lives and the rules that are in place starting in July. We’re still a bit – it is still a bit too early to predict what that will look like. But we know that this will not be a summer like others in the past. We’re in a situation where families and individuals will have to make various decisions that will be dprifrnls what they expected six months before.

Operator:

Thank you. Merci.

Reporter:

Interpreter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. Now as the pandemic is worsening in Montreal, we’re seeing that some parks will be re-opening there on June 1. What will the criteria be for that re-opening? well, obviously we’re seeing that right across the country, there are various situations and we will be matching our federal actions with respect to federal parks with those in the provinces. Now the decisions will be made about those parks in various regions. But, for example, in the far north, near indigenous community, there is very little chance that they will open on June 1. However, there are others that will be more accessible and less problematic and they can open. We’ll have more to say about that in the coming weeks as to which parks will be re-opening. But our goal is to align our decisions with those being made by local and regional authorities regarding provincial parks.

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We know that this pandemic has hit differently across the country and, therefore, there will be different phases or different steps in re-opening of national parks across the country. We will try and align with the local jurisdiction, what the provincial parks nearby are going to be doing so that it is clearer for people in terms of what they can do in their own particular region. But, for example, arctic parks won’t re-opening anytime soon. Certain parks that are in close proximity to indigenous communities will take a little longer to open because of vulnerabilities. We will have more to say in the coming weeks in terms of which parks will be opening up. But we know people will want to get outside and they’ll want to do that safely. As of June 1, we will be facilitating that to a certain extent, always staying careful and responsible in the way we do it.

Interpreter:

Follow-up? yes, Mr. Trudeau. We have been seeing this morning in the “national post” that when edsc asks people to approve the applications for the benefit, they are not allowed to refuse them of people who may have voluntarily left their jobs. Well, I think Canadians recall the numbers we saw last week. Millions of Canadians have lost their jobs in recent months. Now, as a government, we decided to help those people and to help them quickly. That is what had to be done. If we had introduced a system that was demanding complete check on every person’s application nd each time, there are millions of Canadians that would still be waiting to receive the emergency response benefit. We know that 99% of Canadians who are applying under these programs really need the money. and a it’s not because the 1% of fraudsters that we’re going to slow down or prevent millions of other Canadians have receiving the help that they so dearly need. We have introduced measures to counter fraud and we will be ensuring that that happens in the coming months. But the priority now is to help Canadians that need help and that is exactly what we’ve been doing.

Prime Minister Trudeau’s I think people remember well the job numbers that came out just last week that showed that millions of Canadians have lost their jobs. We made the choice as a governments from the very beginning that we would help those millions of Canadians. and getting that help to 99% of the Canadians who needed it quickly and rapidly, if it meant even accepting that 1% or 2% might make fraudulent claims was the choice that we gladly made. We needed to get help to Canadians immediately and that’s what we did. If we had asked the public service to perform background checks on everyone applying for CERB, we would still be waiting to get those cheques out and people needed that money. Now they needed that money last month when we delivered it. So, saying we have put in strong measures to ensure that anyone who is trying to defraud the system will get caught and there will be consequences. But that was not our priority. Our priority was helping people immediately and the fraud measures will kick in in the coming months.

Reporter:

Kevin Gallagher with CTV news. Can you expand on what those measures or mechanisms are? and yesterday you said the C.R.A. Would be responsible far lot of that with the CERB and for the wage subsidy. is the C.R.A. Going to need more resources to tackle the potential fraud that has come from these vital federal programs during this pandemic?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well over seven million Canadians have applied for the CERB. Millions of Canadians are receiving the CERB. Millions of Canadians have lost their jobs. We needed to help them rapidly and efficiently. That means to get the CERB, people simply needed to fill out an attestation, to make commitments that they were in a situation that they deserved to get the CERB. Of course there is going to be a few people who will misrepresent themselves and try and defraud the situation. But we know that the priority was getting help to people who needed it and that is exactly what we did. Including by increasing the capacity of the federal government to deliver these checks and support C.R.A. and other government workers. The choice we made was to get the money out to people when they needed it, immediately, so we could do the physical distancing and a stay home when we needed to and make sure that the fraudsters get caught as we move forward.

Reporter:

You didn’t really answer if there was going to be more resources for the C.R.A. To do this. I’m also wondering, as provinces are to re-open their economies, nonessential businesses start to open up, there are likely to be workers that are concerned about returning to work for their own safety, either their they’re immuno-suppressed and have difficulty finding adequate options or perhaps unsatisfied with the workplace safety protocols because of the coronavirus. Will those workers have an option to remain on the CERB, for example, or other federal programs? what will happen to federal workers with concerns over their safety and now might have to go back to work?

Prime Minister Trudeau’s on the first part of your question, the measures we’ve put in have required the public service across this country to step up in extraordinary ways. and we’re making sure that they get the support they need as they deliver in a rapid way, in a reliable way the support that millions upon millions of Canadians are needing. and we need to thank them for the work they’re doing and, of course, we will always make sure that they have the resources necessary to do the things that Canadians need them to do and do them as incredibly well as they have been. As the economy begins to re-open, as people start looking at going back to work, there are going to be lots of questions about safety and child care and about next steps and we’re going to work very closely with the provinces, with industries, with employers, with people to give as much clarity as we possibly can. We’re in an unprecedented situation. We’re figuring this out step by step as we move forward, as we get into the next phases of this. But every step of the way, our focus is going to be on keeping people safe first and foremost. That needs to be the priority that all Canadians puts at the top of the list.

Interpreter:

In the coming weeks, there will be many questions asked as to how we can re-open the economy, how people can return to work and what’s going to happen with daycare centers and what is going to be done about individual issues. and we will be working very hard together to find answer as to those questions. This is an unprecedented situation and there are no easy answers. We’ll be collaborating, as we have been with the provinces, we will be throng Canadians’ concerns and find the best way to ensure everyone’s safety while at the same time looking at a gradual re-opening and recovery of the economy. Radio-Canada. Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. We’re seeing that the wage subsidy is not being used very much by the employers. The CERB seems to be harming that program. Do you think it’s time to get rid of the CERB earlier than what was expected? well, the fact is that there are many people out there who have lost their jobs and have no access to the wage subsidy. So, the CERB has a VERB important role to play. But as we said, by extending the federal wage subsidy, we’re hoping that more and more employees will be rehired by their employer so that we can focus on the recovery that is to come. We want to ensure that there is a direct connection between employees and employers. and we want to find the right ways to ensure that the recovery is quick and efficient. Now could you not model it a little bit like employment insurance and allow people to get part of the CERB? would that not be a better way to encourage people to actually work? well, that is something we’re looking at right now. It’s all about determining how we can re-open the economy and how we can go from a situation where people are at home, protecting themselves, to one where they’re going out, going back to work and we need to figure out how we can modify certain programs, maybe extending other ones. These are all questions we’re look at right now. – we’re looking at right now. But for now, we’re still in an emergency and we’re still supporting people so that they can stay home and we can control the spread of the virus. and, as we get closer to the next steps, we will, in fact, be change those programs. But how? that remains to be seen. For now, we’re saying that we’re extending the wage subsidy because that will be key to keeping people at work.

Reporter:

I just want to pick up on talking earlier about workers and safety. More than 40 inspectors for the Canadian food inspection agency are getting sick going to work in the meat packing plants. I’m just wondering what the federal government is doing to protect these inspectors.

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We know the situation is extremely difficult in many meat packing plants across the country. That has been a real challenge and we always are trying to find that balance between assuring a safe and reliable food supply for Canadians which is fundamental and necessary while at the same time, ensuring the protection of the workers who are there. That obviously includes the food inspectors and we need to make sure that they have access to the right kinds of personal protection equipment and the right conditions to keep them safe. As important as it is to keep our economy going and get food on the table, we also need to make sure that we are prioritizing worker safety.

Reporter:

and just to follow up on that. The union representing these meat inspectors say they have been give. and “work or else” order from the agency and if they refuse to go to work, they will be disciplined. So, I’m just wondering why they’re being ordered to go to work if they don’t feel safe?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think getting that balance right is extremely important. We need to ensure that essential services like the food supply continue to flow to Canadians, but we need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep workers safe. and we will continue to work with labor, with industry, with provincial partners to make sure that both of those things are being done.

Interpreter:

We know that we must continue to protect the food supply chain. and ensure the safety of Canadians. That’s critical. But it’s also critical to ensure the safety of all workers. So, we will continue to work with the unions and with the employers and the provinces to do everything we can right across the country. So that everyone is working in safe conditions.

Reporter:

Hello, Prime Minister. Tom parry, cape coral. The W.H.O.’s emergencies chief, Dr. Michael ryan, he was quoted today saying that this virus may never go away that it could become just another endemic virus in our community. As a government, how do you plan for that kind of scenario? and you are loosening up restrictions on national parks today. What do you say to Canadians who might hear this and a think that things are never going to get back to normal?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think we know that there are things that we took for granted last year and years before that have changed. We have seen this world change rainedly over the years. You used to be able to get on a plane without taking off your shoes first. We have seen measures brought in that have made shifts in our society, some for the better, some for the worst. COVID-19 will be one of those things that creates changes in our society. Our responsibility as a society, as governments s to try and figure out how to minimize the negative impacts of those change while maximizing the safety of Canadians. There will be adjustments. But re-opening national parks, for example, on June 1, means that we know that you can’t prevent Canadians from going outside when the weather is nice. You just have to help them do it safely. Continue to impress upon them the need for physical distancing, recognize certain areas are more vulnerable than others and will need to remain closed. But create opportunities for Canadians’ well-being, for their mental health while at the same time protecting their physical health. Getting that balance right is something we’re doing in short-term, but obviously there will be plenty of reflections over the coming months and years about how to make sure that Canadians and people around the world are kept safe from this pandemic or from potential next pandemics. trep we have to recognize that things will change in our world. Even after the end of this pandemic and even after we have a vaccine. We will have learned lessons that will lead to changes in our behavior and changes in the way that we operate as a society and as a planet. At the same time, our responsibility as a society and a government is to minimize any disruption while maximizing protection and safety for all citizens. So, it’s a delicate balance that we will be seeking. Now with represent to national parks, for example. We will be able to re-open some of them on June 1, but we will also be encouraging people to continue to practice physical distancing. But we know that going outside, getting some air and outdoor activities are important to people’s health. and we want to ensure that we can allow them to do that more safely so that people will not be vulnerable. There’s no doubt that we will be reflecting on how we have to behave in the coming weeks and years, whether we have a vaccine or not. But for the time being, we’re making the best possible decision so that we can all have a better quality of life and all be safe.

Reporter:

You’ve announced support for first nations and they fight against COVID-19. I’d like to ask you about something that happened on Sunday in Saskatchewan. a first nations there said that the RCMP interrupted an important ceremony over concerns about physical distancing. Premier Scott Moe says there can be no exceptions to the province’s rules about public gatherings. What do you say?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think indigenous community leadership knows that we need to be keeping people safe and we should be able to work with them to develop ways of continuing with important customs and practices for them in a way that abides by health recommendations. I think that is something for the leadership of the community to take on and we, of course, will be happy to work with them. Merci.beaucoup.